TCAP Accommodations

1. TCAP Accommodations 2013

2. Accommodations are about providing access to instruction, not improving scores on the statewide assessment.

3. Accommodations on the Summative Assessment Definition: Accommodations are practices and procedures that provide equitable instructional and assessment access for students with disabilities. Accommodations do not ensure that all students achieve the same level of proficiency.

4. Who can have accommodations on state assessments? Any student may have standard accommodations on the statewide assessment as long as it is documented in a formal educational plan. AARF’s For EVERYONE! Accommodations should be reviewed regularly using the following questions. • Is this happening in daily instruction for that student? • How do you know?

5. All Students… All students, including students with disabilities, should be receiving instruction that is based on the grade‐level content standards in all academic areas. Students with disabilities should have access to the same content taught to all students within the general education setting. Students who have access to quality content based instruction often perform better in the classroom and on state and district assessments.

6. Educational Team Considerations for Instructional Accommodations

7. Educational Team Every IEP team member should be familiar with content standards and accountability systems at the state and district level. Collaboration between general and special educators must occur for successful student access. Most students with disabilities can work toward grade‐level academic content standards and most of these students will be able to achieve these standards when the following three conditions are met: (a) Instruction is provided by teachers who are qualified to teach in the content areas addressed by state standards and who know how to differentiate instruction for diverse learners. (b) IEPs for students with disabilities are developed to ensure the provision of specialized instruction (e.g., specific reading skills, strategies for “learning how to learn”). (c) Appropriate accommodations are provided so students are given the opportunity to access grade‐level content.

8. Formal Educational Plan for assessment accommodations • Based on student need • Written down somewhere other than teacher planning book (School District 51 uses an AARF) • Educational team • Revisited annually • Parent signature

9. Types of Accommodations • Standard • All students with a formal educational plan • Linguistic • Students identified as English Language Learners • Restricted • Students who meet specific requirements – typically must have an IEP or 504 plan • Non-standard • Unique accommodations that must be approved annually by CDE

11. What are restricted Accommodations? Restricted accommodations require the student to have an active/current IEP or 504. Students who are receiving accommodations based on the AARF, are not eligible to utilize restricted accommodations. Restricted accommodations, in many situations, can apply to one content area though there are some which pertain all content areas. Several of the restricted accommodations require the Proctor be trained in a specific area being utilized.

12. Restricted Accommodations • Abacus and/or Tactile Math Manipulatives • Braille with tactile graphics • Brailler • EXTRA Large Print materials • Low-Vision Devices • Scribe • Signing for Presentation * No Reading • Speech-to-text * No Writing • Talking Calculator (only on allowed sessions) • Text-to-Speech * No reading • Word Prediction *No Writing

13. SCRIBE

14. Assistive Technology (AT) vs. Scribe A scribe is for students who physically unable to write or use AT it is easier behavior concerns illegible handwriting lack of instruction using assistive technology can not fully express his/her ideas does not like to write Reasons not to use a scribe include: “it is easier” “illegible handwriting” “behavior concerns” “doesn’t like to write” “can not fully express his ideas” “lack of instruction using assistive technology”

15. New Form!!! Assistive Technology

16. Teacher Read Directions Available in Reading, Writing, Math, and Science. Appropriate for: • Students with visual impairments • Students with communication processing impairments • Students with reading processing impairments • Students who have difficulty following directions

17. Teacher Read Directions (TRD) Sample of test page What is read with TRD

18. Teacher Read Directions continued What can be read on this page using the TRD Nothing… • Questions to consider: • How similar is this to what is happening in the classroom? • Is going over the directions with the entire class the same as teacher read directions?

19. Oral Script Available in Writing, Math and Science Readers/Proctors will use both the Test Proctor’s Manual and the Scripts with ALL presentations. The Oral Script accommodation allows for the test proctor to follow a script, provided by CDE, that includes item directions, words in charts or graphs, test questions and answer choices. Sometimes words are left out of the oral script because the vocabulary or mathematic symbol is being assessed. It is important to determine if this accommodation is reflective of what is happening daily during instruction and on classroom and district assessments. In instruction,this would require a person (or computer) to read everything to the student.

20. Oral Script Sample of test page What is read with Oral Script

21. Teacher Read vs. Oral Script “Oral Scripts” “Teacher Read”

22. Translated Information Teacher Read Directions Teacher read direction scripts are not provided in translated versions by the Colorado Department of Education. Translated Teacher Read Directions may be used if the district translates the Teacher Read Directions from English into the student’s native language. Oral Scripts Oral Scripts are provided in English and Spanish for Writing, Mathematics, and Science content areas. These scripts may be translated, at the District level, into other languages. Oral Scripts are not provided for Escritura (Spanish Reading). Responding in Native Language Student response by writing in his or her native language may be used as a linguistic accommodation based on an individual ELs’ language development. An EL on the continuum of language development who is unable to show content knowledge in written English, may be able to express that content knowledge by writing in his or her native language. The student writes in their test book, and then the entire test book is translated and transcribed into a new test book.

23. Extended Time • This accommodation is about processing speed. Some students just need more time to recall, or write, or think about choices, or language processing. • Generally Time and half (if you know a student cannot complete the assessment in this extra allotted time, the amount of additional time must be documented on the AARF or in a students Formal Educational Plan). • This accommodation should be monitored and evaluated on a regular basis… is it poor use of time or is it a processing issue? • Each assessment session must be completed within the scheduled day in which it was started. • All students must remain in the testing environment and maintain standardized testing conditions until all students have completed the scheduled session. • Students must not intermingle with other students who have taken different assessment sessions. This includes all classes, lunch, recess, off periods etc.

24. Math Manipulatives

25. Extended Time

26. Non Standard Accommodations A student with an IEP or 504 plan may be receiving an accommodation regularly during instruction and on classroom and district assessments which is not available as a standard accommodation for the TCAP. This type of accommodation is considered a nonstandard accommodation. For these few* (less than .01% of TCAP population) students, a request may be made through the Assessment Office for use of this accommodation on the state assessment. Nonstandard accommodations must be applied for and approved annually by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) prior to use on statewide assessments. Nonstandard accommodations must not invalidate the construct of the assessment. Standard accommodations on the state assessment must be considered prior to requesting a nonstandard accommodation. Nonstandard accommodation requests must include the IEP or 504 plan that shows the specific accommodation documented as needed in instruction, on classroom assessments, on district assessments, and on state assessments.

27. Non Standard Accommodations Continued The use of nonstandard accommodations must be requested for consideration via the District Assessment Coordinator (DAC) and Special Education Director. Signatures of these district personnel are required on each request. Nonstandard accommodation requests for a Scribe must include evidence of the student working with assistive technology for writing regularly and with fidelity during instruction, yet the student is unable to use the assistive technology on the assessment due to unique factors (fixation, tactile concerns, extreme frustration etc.). Requests for a scribe due to poor handwriting, poor spelling, difficulty with writing organization, lack of instruction, or resistance to performing writing tasks will not be approved. If documentation is not included with the request, or documentation does not support the claim of use of the accommodations during instruction, and on classroom and district assessments with fidelity, the request will not be approved. Some examples of non-approved nonstandard accommodations: reading the Reading test, Multiplication tables, calculators, or a scribe due to lack of exposure/instruction with assistive technology. Deadline for submission to Assessment December 7, 2012 Please see Chrisy afterwards for submission information

28. Thank you for taking part in the 2013 Accommodations Training Call if you have questions! Sean Taylor 254-5328 or Chrisy Ralston 254-5324